PhD program: Sustain - Sustainable technologies for industrial and construction engineering. Research program: Climate change induced hazards and structural risk assessment of industrial steel buildings

Department

Department of Engineering and Applied Sciences, University of Bergamo

Main research activities/topics/projects

The research focuses on the assessment of climate-change related risks affecting industrial steel structures, with particular emphasis on extreme events such as debris flows, extreme wind actions and flooding. The activity aims to develop advanced methodologies for evaluating structural vulnerability, damage mechanisms and resilience of industrial buildings under evolving hazard scenarios.

The research integrates structural engineering, hazard modelling and risk assessment, with applications to industrial facilities characterized by large spans, lightweight steel systems and critical production functions.

The visitor could select one hazard typology among debris flows, extreme wind actions and flooding.

Given that, the main research topics could include:

-  Structural response of steel industrial buildings under extreme wind loads, including progressive collapse mechanisms, local and global instability, and cladding and connection failures

- Impact of debris flows on industrial facilities, including dynamic loading, accumulation effects, obstruction of structural elements and induced lateral pressures

- Flood risk assessment, including hydrodynamic forces and damage to non structural and structural components

- Development of fragility curves for industrial steel buildings under different hazard scenarios

- Numerical modelling using finite element methods and simplified analytical approaches

- Definition of mitigation and adaptation strategies 

- Support to risk-informed decision-making for industrial planning and asset management

The research combines analytical modelling, numerical simulations and case study applications, with possible integration of experimental data and field observations.

Working language 

English (primary), Italian (optional)

Duration in months (min-max)

Master research: 2 - 6

PhD sandwich: 2 - 12

Post Doc: 2 - 12